Egyptians march in protest in restive canal city

FILE - In this Monday, Jan. 28, 2013 file photo, Egyptian protesters run for cover during clashes with riot police near Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt. With near impunity and the backing of the Islamist president, Egyptian police have over the past week used excessive and often deadly force against protesters across much of the country, regaining their Mubarak-era notoriety as a tool of repression. With nearly 60 people dead and hundreds injured, police have re-emerged as a significant political player after spending the past two years on the sidelines. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)

CAIRO (AP) — Thousands of Egyptians are marching in protest in the restive Suez Canal city of Port Said, calling for retribution a week after they saw the worst of street violence that left up to 60 dead across the country.

Egypt’s opposition has called for rallies on Friday to pressure President Mohammed Morsi to accept their demands to form a national unity government and amend the constitution, moves they say would prevent the Islamist from governing solely in the interest of his Muslim Brotherhood group.

The protest marches come a day after the Brotherhood and the opposition National Salvation Front met under the aegis of Egypt’s premier Islamic institution, Al-Azhar, and signed a joint statement denouncing violence. It was the two groups’ first ever meeting.